15minuteficlets: Dear Delight & Word Associations
by koalabear
Summary: Both set somewhere duringpost A New School Year or Wishes at Christmas.


**Two 15minuteficlets**

**Fifteen Minute Ficlet Challenge**: One word. Fifteen minutes. You see the word. You write - anything you want on any topic. For 15 minutes. You post. You're done. Do not go over 15 minutes and do not look at the word before you start.

**Nibblet Title:** Dear Delight (PG)  
**Fandom:** Harry Potter, Cedric/Hermione. Set somewhere during/post A New School Year or Wishes at Christmas  
**Word #132**: Tidy

"Sorry, what did you say?" Hermione asked absently, glancing through the pile of pamphlets lying on the ground beside her. "Giant Liaison Officer" and "Goblin Intelligence" just didn't appeal, neither did the "Broom Testing Division" of the Ministry of Magic. She wondered why the range of careers was so limited in the wizarding world. Perhaps magic made things so easy that the number of public roles available was also reduced.

"I said you've already gone through those pamphlets a dozen times ... do you really think you're going to find your future career in that propaganda?" Cedric asked lazily from where he lay stretched out on the grass beside her, his textbooks abandoned next to him. Hermione leaned over and plucked a blade of grass from his hair.

"It's a start ... maybe I'll follow _your_ suggestion," Hermione said with a smile.

Cedric frowned. "Suggestion? I never suggested anything".

"Become an auror at the Ministry - work under cover ... in fact I'd be even better at going 'under cover' at the Muggle Government than you would ..." she told him. "You'd need a bit of competition to shake things up," she said musingly.

Cedric sat upright immediately and glared at her. "Now look here!"

Hermione laughed. "Oh, I see, so it's all very well for you to put yourself in mortal danger at the front but I'm supposed to wait at home and twiddle my thumbs waiting for you to return to my side?" she asked him mockingly.

"You _are_ mortal danger," Cedric said irritably, reaching out to pull her against him and rolled with her to the grass, ignoring her laughing protests.

"Let me off," she said from where she lay stretched length-wise on his long frame, her hair falling about both their faces as she stared down at him. He reached out and grabbed his school satchel, propping it under his head and grinned up at her.

"No, I think I like you just where you are," he said reaching up to wrap his arms about her and hold her tight against him, looking wicked.  
"You have to study and I have to read," she told him severely.

"Such a cross and snippy little bossyboots all the time," he said reprovingly, shaking his head at her.

"It's what I am," she told him darkly and he grinned.

"I know, dear delight," he told her and she rolled her eyes, kissing his jaw lightly.

"Dear delight?" she asked him witheringly.

"Well _you_ come up with an endearment ... I don't think I've heard one from you yet," he told her.

When she looked stumped, he said encouragingly,"It's easy ... just think of an adjective that reminds you of me".

"Untidy," she said immediately, reaching down to brush his hair from his eyes.

"I'm _very_**tidy**," he protested in outrage.

"You always scatter your books over my papers in the library," she pointed out and he pulled a face and pulled her down so that he could kiss her. A few moments of silence later and she was laughing.

"Irreverent," she said trying again.

"That's not an endearment either," he said shaking his head in disapproval. "I thought you were supposed to be smart, Granger. Where's your eloquence?"

Hermione screwed up her face in concentration and Cedric burst out laughing, his chest rumbling.

"It's not supposed to be that _hard_ to think of an endearment for me" he told her. She thought again.

"Cedric".

Cedric choked. "That's hopeless. That's my bloody _name_!"

Hermione thought again and a slow smile curved her mouth. She lowered her head and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"My Cedric," she whispered in his ear and his arms tightened around her.

His grey eyes eyes darkened.

Studies, career pamphlets and all thoughts of spoken endearments vanished into a slow, delightful silence.

**

* * *

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**Title of Nibblet:** Word Associations (G)  
**Fandom:** Harry Potter, Cedric/Hermione. Set somewhere during/post A New School Year or Wishes at Christmas. Follows chronologically from Word 132 because I was working backwards!  
**Word #130**: Tired

"What do you mean?"

"Word association - I say a word and you have to say the word that comes into your mind when you hear what I've said. A bit like when you told me to come up with an endearment," she told him, blushing slightly.

His eyes were very warm as he also remembered, cupping her face and lowering his head to kiss her.

Nonetheless, he raised an eyebrow. "May I ask what the use of the exercise is?"

"It's just fun ... and insightful ..."

Cedric held up his hands. "I'm all yours".

"**Tired**".

"Bed".

"Hungry".

"Sticky date pudding," Cedric declared.

"Sunshine".

"You".

Hermione looked sceptical.

"Stars," she said testingly.

"You," he said again and she shook her head.

"You have to take this seriously. "It has to be the first thing that pops into your head".

"Are you calling me a liar?" Cedric asked protestingly, his grey eyes alight with mischief.

"Freckles," she said raising an eyebrow.

"You".

"OK that's the proof - I do not have freckles and you are not taking this seriously".

"Yes you do ... there's just the lightest smattering here ... but you can only see them if you get this close," Cedric said, millimetres away from her face, his lips brushing against hers lightly before drawing back.

She ran a fingertip down his cheek lightly but continued.

"Voldemort," she said deliberately and Cedric flinched.

"Fear".

"Death Eater".

"Hate".

"Nightmare".

"Graveyard," he said, all humour disappearing from his eyes, a faint look of doubt and question in his face at where she was going with this game.

"Death," she said.

"Cold," he replied. "A strange idea of fun you've got there, Hermione," Cedric said coolly, regarding her with a rather perplexed expression.

"You're always pretending for my benefit that you're all brave and fearless ... that nothing scares you... all stiff upper lip and all," she told him pensively.

"You'd prefer it if I broke down and snivelled like a baby in your arms, Granger?" he asked, a little defiantly.

"I'd feel better knowing that I wasn't the only one who ever had nightmares ... who wasn't afraid to admit to being frightened and uncertain. You don't always have to be strong around me. It's me, you know ... " she told him.

There was an unreadable expression on his face and he reached out and drew her into his arms silently, resting his chin lightly on the top of her head and stroking her hair.

"My turn," he announced and she looked up at him questioningly.

"Books," he said.

"Library," she said immediately.

"Library," he said with a smile.

"You," she said unhesitatingly and the smile broadened.

"Love," he said gently.

"You," she said, her eyes looking right into his.

"Us," he asked questioningly.

"Forever".

**The End**


End file.
